Sports
Malvern Prep Alum Mike Francisco Drafted By Milwaukee
The Villanova relief pitcher, selected last year by the Phillies, was picked again this year by the Milwaukee Brewers.
This time around, former Malvern Prep baseball player Mike Francisco is ready for his journey to the big leagues to begin.
Francisco, a 2007 Malvern Prep grad who pitched last season for Villanova, was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies a year ago. But when the two could not come to terms on money issues, he decided to return to the Main Line campus, finish his courses in marketing, play for the Wildcats and wait to see what happened in this year's Major League Baseball draft.
Wednesday, his number was called again, this time in the 48th round, by the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Francisco is the seventh player from Villanova to be selected twice in the draft, and the first to be drafted by the Brewers, Villanova head coach Joe Godri said in a statement released by the school.
Francisco has been Villanova's closer and recorded nine saves this season for the Wildcats. Overall, he threw 30 innings out of the pen and held opponents to a .229 batting average. He threw in 82 games while at Villanova, and teams hit just .253 during those games. He owns the Villanova school record with 20 saves.
Find out what's happening in Malvernwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
At 6-foot, 4-inches and 240 pounds, he has consistently thrown at around 90 mph. In 2010, the lefthander did not allow a run in 18 of the 25 games he pitched in.
He was a two-sport player at Malvern Prep, adding basketball to his baseball talents and was second team all Inter-Ac.
Godri said he was thrilled with the Newtown Square resident's selection.
"I am extremely happy for Mike. He has a power arm and, with velocity in the 88-92 range and an imposing frame at 6-foot-4, there is no question that he can be successful at the next level."
During 2009, Francisco started a game but them moved to the bullpen where he appeared in 22 games. That year, he limited hitters to scoring a run in only seven of his 22 relief stints.
Besides Francisco, the Brewers drafted 23 other pitchers this week.
"Mike projects as a setup man or a closer at the professional level," Godri said. "The great thing for Mike is that he now has an opportunity to develop his secondary pitches as a pro. He worked on those pitches in practice at Villanova but the nature of being a closer is that when you get into the game you have to stick to your strength. Mike's strength is working his fastball to both sides of the plate."
